EDIT: I've had to remove the photos as I've been told that Universal will get pissy with me for posting them.I thought they'd appreciate the free publicity...



My wife and daughter have just finished working on the set of the new Kevin Macdonald film The Eagle of Ninth. Based on the book by Rosemary Sutcliffe and set in the second century AD, it's about a Roman soldier who tries to recover the lost of standard of the Ninth Legion that disappeared in Scotland. The synopsis by Focus Features is as follows:

“The Eagle of the Ninth” is set in the dangerous world of second-century Britain. In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila (played by Channing Tatum) arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca (Jamie Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian’s Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the lost legion’s golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.”

They've been filming near Achiltibuie over the last week and have had to endure some pretty wild weather, Friday's weather in particular threw everything it could to make proceedings as miserable as possible. They've kept at it though and I was impressed at the professionalism of the crew and the fact that everyone seemed willing to muck in and help when things got tough. The stars of the film (Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell) had no airs and graces about them and were more than happy to mingle with the extras - they also signed my daughter's book so she went home very happy!

The added cash to the local tourist economy has been well received with most of the local B&B's hosting cast and crew members. Local people have also been used as drivers and of course extras - hence my wife and daughter's involvement.

It's been a busy few days but the camaraderie has been fantastic and even the crappy weather failed to dampen people's spirits. We did hope to get another day on the shoot on Monday but they don't need quite so many Extras next week. The film comes out in summer 2010 and I for one am looking forward to it.


(If anyone knows the name of lady in the hat in the background here, pass on our thanks. She was absolutely brilliant with the kids! I didn't get a chance to say thanks before we left for home. She's one of the costume designers and is a nanny for Kevin Macdonald)